Open AccessBioavailability of zinc and iron in durum wheat: A trade‐off between grain weight and nutrition?
Author(s) -
Tran Binh T.T.,
Cavagnaro Timothy R.,
Able Jason A.,
WattsWilliams Stephanie J.
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
plants, people, planet
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
ISSN - 2572-2611
DOI - 10.1002/ppp3.10151
Subject(s) - bioavailability , micronutrient , agronomy , nutrient , phosphorus , biofortification , micronutrient deficiency , biology , zinc , crop , chemistry , ecology , bioinformatics , organic chemistry
Micronutrients such as zinc and iron are critical for human health. For the world's population that relies on cereal products to obtain micronutrients, the bioavailability (absorption of nutrients in the gut) can be hindered by an anti‐nutritional compound, phytate. Phytate accumulation in grain is affected by soil properties including phosphorus availability and arbuscular mycorrhizal (AM) fungi. Here, we investigated the effects of AM fungi and soil phosphorus fertilization on micronutrient bioavailability in durum wheat and found that fertilization greatly decreased the bioavailability of micronutrients, but AM fungi can take up more micronutrients, which can lead to improved bioavailability when the soil is not fertilized.